Could 2026 be the year Dudley's long-awaited regeneration schemes all come together?

Testing of the new £400 million, five-mile tramline, which links up with the existing Wolverhampton-Birmingham tramway at Wednesbury, is said to be imminent, with the new opening to passengers early this year, although Transport for West Midlands will not be drawn on a date. Work has already begun on the second phase of the line, which will continue for another two miles to the Merry Hill shopping centre, and is due to open in 2028.

Political and business leaders are pinning their hopes on the new line, which they say will bring thousands of visitors into attractions such as the Black Country Living Museum - which has set itself a target of attracting 500,000 visitors a year, Dudley Zoo and the Dudley Canal and Caverns. 

The tram will also stop in Flood Street, outside the site of the proposed 2,000-seater Planet Ice centre, which is forecast to bring close to a quarter-million visitors each year, boosting the economy by £40 million during its first decade. It is expected to create 100 new jobs, and could also host a professional ice hockey team and double up as a music venue.

Meanwhile, plans have been submitted to convert a vacant warehouse on the opposite side of the Duncan Edwards Way bypass into Dudley's first padel-tennis centre. Council leaders are hoping these developments, alongside the £4 million Stone Street leisure quarter - including the Fun City bar and entertainment complex in the former museum and art gallery - will help establish the town as a centre for recreation.